Cyberpunk 2077’s first and only expansion, Phantom Liberty, is out on September 26th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, costing $29.99. It’s an opportunity for CD Projekt RED to close out the controversial first-person RPG on a high note while adding lots of new content alongside numerous quality-of-life changes for all owners in an update. Let’s look at everything you should know about it.
Story
Phantom Liberty sees V and Johnny Silverhand (voiced by Keanu Reeves) contacted by the mysterious Songbird, who tells them of a potential cure for their condition. The duo must go to Dogtown, where it’s discovered that Space Force One, carrying NUSA President Rosalind Myers, has crashed. As a result, a power struggle begins with Dogtown’s ruler putting the word out on Myers while Federal Intelligence agents with different agendas get involved.
Spy Thriller
For this expansion, CD Projekt went with a spy thriller theme to incorporate all kinds of different fantasies. James Bond, Mission Impossible, Jason Bourne, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy are some examples. However, the team also looked to the real world for inspiration, including books, interviews with real agents and details on spy operations in history.
The idea is to create a grounded base, and then use the Cyberpunk “motif and theme” to present something “familiar yet different.” Long story short, expect a bunch of intrigue, lies and intelligent individuals attempting to one-up each other in Phantom Liberty’s story.
Dogtown
Dogtown will be very familiar to fans of Cyberpunk. It was part of Pacifica and destined to become a high-end destination for wealthy tourists. However, following the Unification War, investors withdrew funding, leaving the district unfinished. It slowly descended into lawlessness, with the Combat Zone being so bad that it was walled off. Former NUSA colonel Kurt Hansen seized a portion of the district and renamed the Combat Zone to Dogtown, becoming a half tyrant and half protector.
Dogtown offers a mix of anarchy and authority. Some areas are guarded by Hansen’s forces, and thus safe, while others are immensely dangerous and off-limits, posing significant threat to anyone who dares enter. There’s also the Black Market, where players can find just about anything, from custom cyberware to stolen corpo tech and even a tank (which sadly can’t be used).
New Characters
V is once again a central figure in the expansion, but this time, there are two other important additions. Songbird is the figure that brought you to Dogtown and is a kind of mirror to V, who may prove divisive to players. She’s also Myers’ right hand but seems to have another motive. Solomon Reed, played by Idris Elba, is a highly experienced FIA agent who would become a sleeper several years prior and be recently reactivated after Myers enters Dogtown. He’s loyal to his country, which causes conflicts with his commitment to his ideals and those he cares about.
Aside from Hansen, there’s Myers, the NUSA president and former Militech CEO, who is capable and thinks logically. Alex is also an FIA agent, previously recruited by Reed and capable of using shapeshifting technology to fit in. As for Johnny Silverhand, his presence in the expansion is almost as much as the base game, so there will be plenty of new interactions to enjoy.
Barghest
The Barghest are Hansen’s former squadmates from Militech who have turned into a military unit/gang. They decided to remain in the area following the last Corporate War and do things their way (but are still respectful towards the former Colonel). Marauders and gangsters have filled their ranks through the years, and you’ll run into them throughout Dogtown, especially when trying to protect Myers.
Revamped AI and Police System
The AI has seen significant changes and improvements affecting the new police system. The latter has different levels and types of enemies that pursue you and are unique to Dogtown. You’ll end up in car chases but also see factions battling it in vehicles in the open world. Pedestrians are mostly getting bug fixes, but the progression is completely overhauled with different loot drops, more varied enemy archetypes and a different difficulty curve.
Vehicular Combat
One of the most requested features since launch is vehicular combat. Vehicles can now have weapons like Gatling guns and rockets (with several from the base game being updated), but you can also aim your gun out of the side window. Want to shoot through the windshield or stab enemies with a katana while on a motorcycle? You can do that and even target charging ports as weak spots.
UI and Skill Changes
The UI, Perks and Skill Trees are completely redone for the release of Phantom Liberty. New Skills have been added, like a dash, the ability to deflect bullets and even finishers to execute enemies. Each has modifiers to add more nuance. So instead of just stat boosts, Skills now encourage new play styles and options.
Cyberware Changes
Cyberware is also undergoing major changes, encouraging players to make choices and specialize in their build. There will be a capacity system that limits the amount you can equip. However, the new Edgerunners perk allows for going beyond that, even if you suffer side effects like reduced max health. Sadly, Cyberpsychosis isn’t added, but it’s still a risk vs reward mechanic that adds some nuance.
Relic Tree
Exclusive to Phantom Liberty is the new Relic Tree, which adds modifiers to your Cyberware (like some new Skills for the Mantis Blades). You’ll need Relic Points to unlock and upgrade these Skills, and they can only be found in Dogtown, so that’s one of the new activities that will occupy your time. As for what new Skills will be added, dare we hope for the ability to climb walls with the Mantis Blades that was cut before release?
Courier Missions
Another new activity in the expansion is the Courier Missions, doled out by Mama Welles, which can be repeated constantly. You’ll find vehicles marked throughout the city to steal, though there are other tasks like retrieving one without taking damage or following and remotely hacking one. It is one avenue to get all the cars, especially since they’re no longer purchased from fixers. If you check Welles’ website, you’ll keep up to date on any additions, which include those with weapons.
Airdrops
Another new activity is Airdrops. These are random caches falling from the sky in the open world, and you’ll need to race to retrieve them. Details are scarce, and the rush to get them seemingly indicates that other forces will be competing for the goods. It’s not the newest mechanic for an open world game to have, but still adds some nice fast-paced action to go with the new weaponized vehicles.
Updated PC Requirements
Those on PC should note – the system requirements are being increased. HDD support is being dropped for SSDs to provide “faster loading times, improved streaming, and better overall performance.” At the minimum, you’ll need an Intel Core i7-6700 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600, 12 GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 580 for 1080p/30 FPS at Low settings.
Recommended hardware includes a Core i7-12700 or AMD Ryzen 7 7800, 16 GB RAM and an RTX 2060 Super or a Radeon RX 5700 for 1080p/60 FPS at High settings. For running the game in Ultra at 2160p/60 FPS, you need a Core i9-12900 or Ryzen 9 7900X, an RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 7900 XTX and 20 GB of RAM.
For ray tracing, a Core i7-9700 or Ryzen 5 5600, RTX 2060, a Radeon RX 6800 XT or Arc A750, and 16 GB of RAM are necessary at the minimum. Recommended hardware for ray tracing includes a Core i9-12900 or a Ryzen 9 7900X, an RTX 3080 Ti or Radeon RX 7900 XTX and 20 GB of RAM. Finally, for Ray Tracing Overdrive, with performance measured using DLSS Frame Generation enabled, you’ll need the same CPU but with an RTX 4080 and 24 GB of RAM.
While the previous minimum requirements will still work, active support and testing have stopped. So if you run into issues, don’t count on the developer fixing them.
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